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Perak consist of ten
districts includes Hulu Perak, Kerian, Larut, Matang & Selama, Kuala
Kangsar, Kinta, Perak Tengah, Manjung, Kampar, Batang Padang and Hilir Perak.
Ipoh is the capital city of Perak, situated in the district of Kinta. Head of
the state is Sultan (King). Head of the administration is Chief Minister.

Area

:

643 sq Km

Elevation

:

21.95 m

Population

:

702,464 (2009) -
The census shows 70% of Ipoh residents are mainly from Chinese ethnics such
as Hakka, Teo Chew and others. Malays constitutes 17% of population followed
by Indians 12.5% and others 0.5% (Sources: Wikipedia)

Standard of Living

:

Standard of living
in Ipoh is moderate. The city is well developed with modern infrastructure
and facilities.

Cost of Living

:

The cost of living
in Ipoh is comparatively low. Most of goods and services are available at reasonably
price and within reach.

Weather

:

Ipoh features
tropical rainforest climates. The temperature ranges from 20”C to 30”C. It is
summer all year round. Monsoon seasons starts from September to December and
the precipitation ranges from 2,000mm to 2,500mm annually.

Islam is the
official religion. However, other religions such as Buddhism, Taoist,
Hinduism, Sikh and Christianity are freely practise.

Economic

:

Manufacturing
constitutes the largest component of Ipoh’s economy. Tourism, Agriculture,
Retail business and Cottage Industry are among the economy catalyst in the
area.

Safety

:

Statistically the crime rate is relatively
low.

Currency

:

The unit of currency is Ringgit Malaysia.

Accessibility

:

Ipoh is well
connected by North-South Expressway / East-West Expressway / Roads / Railways
/ Electric Train Service to major cities and towns in the Peninsular of
Malaysia.

WELCOME TO IPOH VALLEY OF PARADISE楽園のイポー谷へようこそ

Ipoh
– The Background

Ipoh is the capital city of Perak, situated 205 kilometres north of Kuala Lumpur and 170 kilometres
south of George Town, Penang. Strategically located in the heart of Kinta valley, the
city lies on the river banks of Kinta River surrounded by breathtaking
limestone hills and lush greenery terrains. It covers 643 sq Kilometres with a
total population of 702,464. Majority of the population are from Chinese
descendants and other are Malays and Indians. Ipoh is slowly catching up with Kuala Lumpur,
Penang and Johor Bharu in terms of development, and now Ipoh is the
fourth largest city in Malaysia (Sources : Wikipidea). The city is one of the
fascinating tourist destinations in the Peninsular of Malaysia, splendour with
heritages, cultures and natures.

Heritage

Historically, the early settlement in Ipoh existed in early 1800s and the city has spread across the Kinta River throughout the years. The river divides Ipoh into two sections, the
old and the new town. The old town (West) is synonymously known to a place of
historical buildings from the British colonial eras which stand parallel to the
Kinta River. Notable Ipoh’s historical landmarks such as Town Hall, The Court
House, Ipoh Royal Club, Railway Station, Saint Michael Institution, Hong Kong
& Shanghai Bank and F.M.S Bar are well preserved until today. On the other
hands, the new town (East) predominantly occupied by commercial centres,
hospitals, shopping centres, food outlets and hotels. Ipoh is constantly growing
and the city expanding right to the edge with new development of townships,
shopping complexes, hypermarkets, and theme parks. Above all, the legacy of
Ipoh clustered in the quiet old town. There a lot of untold stories and
it’s yours to discover.

Culture

Historically, Malays
are known to be the early settler in the area and they live in a village of
Kampung Ipoh and Kampung Paloh along the banks of Kinta River in early 1800s.
Later the Malays settlements grew bigger and formed Kampung Kuala Pari and
Kampung Jawa. After the arrival of British in the rich tin valley in 1878, the
scenario changed and Malays no longer dominated the place. There were large
number of Chinese immigrants migrated to Ipoh during the tin rush in the late
1890s. Ipoh became the centre for tin trade. Thus, the town expanded to
accommodate the large influx of miners and it became the largest settlement
area in the Kinta valley. The tin trade contributed to the wealth of the city and Ipoh prosperous into a cosmopolitan dominated by the Chinese community. Indians
were brought to Malaya by the British during the booming rubber industry in
1900s. Most of them reside in the rubber plantation and estates in the outskirt
of Ipoh. Today, seventy percent of Ipoh population are from Chinese
descendant while Malays, Indians and other races are considered the minority
group. Despite having such diverse races and cultures, Ipoh residents had lived
in peace and harmony for more than hundred years. The existence of multi-races
and cultural differences has become an asset to tourism industry in Ipoh.

Nature

Geographically
located in the valley surrounded by Titiwangsa mountain range which runs to
east of the city and Kledang Mountain range which stretches from the north to
the west of Ipoh. The panoramic view of hills and mountains can be seen as far
as the city centre and the valley rich with lush greenery terrain with several
locations are upgraded and beautify as a recreational parks and gardens. Ipoh
is surrounded by clusters of towering limestone surmounted with lush greenery
and its features natural caves, picturesque lake, waterfalls and geothermal hot
springs that await anyone who are planning to visit the city.

Ipoh
City Council

Ipoh is also known as the city that tin built and the city of millionaires due to its abundance of tin deposit
in 1890’s. The name of Ipoh itself comes from the ‘ipoh’, ‘epu’ or ‘epus’ tree (Antiaris Toxicana) which once grew
wildly here. Nowadays, the city is known as the city of Bougainvilleas named
derived from the city’s abundance of the flora and it is much better capture
the vibe of the place. Ipoh was officially proclaimed a city status on 27th May
1998 and inaugural ceremonies to commemorate the status was officiated by the
ruler of Perak HRH Sultan Azlan Muhibuddin Shah Ibni Almarhum Sultan Yussuf
Izzuddin Shah Ghafarullahu-Lah. Ipoh governed by City Council lead by a mayor
or Datuk Bandar. The City Council’s tag line, “Clean, Green and Dynamics” was
chosen to portray the practised of good governance, cleanliness, dynamic
development and preservation of nature.

Ipoh-Fukuoka,
Japan Twin City

Fukuoka and Ipoh’s
history of international exchange began in 1977 when Fukuoka first sent a Youth
exchange Flight to Malaysia. The relationship between the two cities started to
bloom and after several exchange activities, Ipoh extending an invitation to
become a sister city to Fukuoka. The tie between the two cities was seal by
both top local officials at Perak State Government Office in Ipoh on 21st Mac
1989. Since then, the cooperation between both cities was further enhanced
through investment, trade, education, technology and cultural. Ipoh-Fukuoka
Twin City celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2009. The delegation of Fukuoka
officials lead by Fukuoka’s Mayor, Mr. Hiroshi Yoshida made an official visit
to Ipoh to commemorate the anniversary. During the visit, members of the
delegation were taken on a tour to the Japanese Garden at D.R Seenivasagam Park
and both mayors release carp fries into the pond and planted bougainvillea
sapling in the garden to mark the anniversary. Later, the delegation was taken
to visit several tourism destinations in Ipoh as well as in Perak includes
Bukit Merah Laketown Resort, Tempurong Cave, Gunung Lang and Lost World of
Tambun. The warm reception made by the Ipoh city’s mayor, Y.Bhg Dato’ Roshidi
Hashim fostering the bilateral ties between the two cities.

Japanese
Garden

The Japanese Garden
located within D.R. Seenivasagam Park at the heart of the city. It was built as a
symbol of friendship between Ipoh and Fukuoka, Japan. The garden was opened
officially to the public in 1995. The architectural landscape of the garden was
built by the local in collaboration with the Japanese counterpart. The garden
features a traditional style wooden bridge, a small Japanese house and a
traditional Japanese Ornament. The landscape features variety species of
tropical flowers, plants and trees including the quintessential Japanese bonsai
plant and fish pond. The charming garden is among the most visited by the city
dwellers and visitors. It is known as the little Japan by the local residents.

Japanese
community

Estimated about 300
Japanese are stay in Ipoh. The community consist of expatriates, businessman
and professionals, and majority of them reside in the gated property resort
community north of the city centre. Some of them have been living in Ipoh for
quite number of years and treated Ipoh as their second home. Japanese are
considered minority group in Ipoh and yet they are welcomes as part of the
multi-racial communities here. The welcoming atmosphere, peaceful and relax
lifestyle, and friendly neighbours has made the Japanese community comfortably
stay in the city.

Japanese
Society & Club

The Perak
Malaysian-Japanese Friendship Society was officially forms in 1998. As of now
the society has approximately 600 members. The society is lead by its chairman
Mr. Lam Kim Yeap. The aim is to promote mutual understanding and enhance
relationships between Malaysians and Japanese in Perak through volunteer or
social activities. The society offers Japanese language classes and cultural
exchange demonstration of both Malaysian and Japanese. Several activities were
held by the society to create awareness on Japanese cultures including Origami
Workshop, Japanese Language Speech Contest and others. Japanese Club of Ipoh
consists of approximately 300 members and the club is lead by its president Mr.
Takashi Haga.

Bon
Odori Festival

Bon Odori is
celebrated occasionally by Japanese and local community in Ipoh. In 2010, Ipoh
hosts the Bon Odori festival and it was held at Meru Valley Resort. The
festival draw thousands of people and it give an opportunity for many to wear
their traditional summer cloth “yukata”. During the festival, four Bon danced
were performed to the tunes of Tanko Bushi, Pokemon Ondo, Hokkai Bon Uta, and
Dragon Ondo. There also traditional Japanese games kingyo sukui (scooping gold
fish) and yoyo tsuri (water ballon fishing) that attracted children and even
adults to try their hand’s luck. The festival was organised by a joint effort
from the Consulate-General of Japan in Penang, Japan Club of Ipoh, Perak
Malaysian-Japanese Friendship Society, Tenby International School of Ipoh,
Kinta Properties Sdn Bhd and Meru Valley Resort Bhd. For more information on
their society and activities, please contact the PMJFS at +605 253 7530 or
email at pkmjfs@yahoo.com.